Category: Personal

Racism: bad. Parents not loving their children: bad. Comfort sex: good. I think that about sums up 2001’s Monster’s Ball. This is the film in which Halle Berry acted so well she became the first African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar; I’m sure you remember her tears and acceptance speech. I actually thought Billy Bob Thornton had a more difficult role, though.

The script was also nominated for a lot of awards, including the original screenplay Oscar, but I just don’t see it that way. Written by Will Rokos and Milo Addica–the first produced script by either of them–the story is just missing too many important pieces, substituting set confrontational pieces and speeches instead. Big broad strokes abound: the final visit by Berry and Coronji Calhoun (playing their son) to death row inmate Sean (p. diddy) Combs, the final confrontation between Thornton and Heath Ledger (playing his son with a not altogether convincing accent), the final confrontation between Thornton and Peter Boyle (his dad).

The heart of the movie, though, is the relationship between Berry and Thornton. He essentially completely remakes his life for her but aside from what seems like a really amazing few minutes of sex the movie gives us absolutely no explanation of why. Thornton’s Hank Grotowski shows his racist spurs in an early scene chasing off two neighbor boys with a shotgun. He is the supervisor of the prison team responsible for Comb’s execution and carries the process out in as heartless, emotionless a manner as can be managed.

When Berry and Thornton finally meet there is no recognition of the other and later, as Berry realizes this fact, she simply cries and moves on, without a look of comprehension from Thornton or word of dialog between them. Certainly both of them have a better life, on any scale of measure, together than apart but we never are given a reason. Just circumstances, I suppose.

Director Marc Forster does pull some seriously good performances from the cast (other than Thornton) and interesting visuals but in the end, he has to be held responsible for the lack of cohesion. Thornton, I’m starting to think, for all his acclaim “has the [acting] range of a tetherball” as another commentor on IMDB put it. This worked well, indeed was eminently suited to, The Man Who Wasn’t There, which Thornton made just before this one.

Two scenes, far too obviously intended as a contrast of their characters, point out the most serious flaws of the film. Early on, Ledger visits the town hooker (Amber Rules) and has amazingly fast, unenthusiastic, unenjoyable sex. Later on, Thornton visits Rules–she’s wearing the same skirt and top, still no panties, same motel room–and as they’re about to get busy, just making conversation, Rules spoils the ignoble moment by asking about Ledger.

No doubt Monster’s Ball tries to make some serious, meaningful points but forgets that to be successful a movie must entertain. I was really struck by the contrast with the last movie I watched before this, Stickmen. That was another outside the mainstream movie, trying to show an interesting slice of life conflict but without forgetting this simple rule.

Not recommended although the two big sex scenes between Thornton and Berry are pretty hot.

Tony Blair summed up my perspective on war with Iraq: “More discussion is just more delay.” Resolution 1441, the unanimously approved decision of the UN Security Council, told Saddam what he had to do. He didn’t do it. Now, the serious consequences are upon him.

And Jacques Chirac: he’s a two-faced hypocrite.

Gretchen Mortgenson tells an important story about the signs for investors about the telecomms: From WorldCom, an Amazing View of a Bloated Industry.

This headline–Bush Pushes Plan to Curb Medicare Appeals–jumped out at me from the morning paper (the Mercury News seems to reprint at least 4-6 articles per day from the NY Times) today. Our Administration, in it’s continuing battle to eliminate any benefits from the general population, wants to change the way coverage denial appeals are handled by Medicare. Currently the appeals are heard by administrative judges, federal employees are are very carefully shielded from political pressure, and coverage is granted in a bit more than half the cases.

Some geniuses at the top of the Bush food chain think this is a bad thing and so they want to re-engineeer the system. Now, I understand every individual has their own political views and personal biases, but from what I can see the current setup works well and at least the judges don’t have to fear for their jobs over each decision. The new plan would put that out the window. It would also change the structure of the appeals process to binding arbitration, another anti-consumer move.

But why does the Bush Administration want to make this change? Making sure an older American has regular home health care visits from a nurse is, I guess, too much to ask. Call me naive but I thought the point of Medicare was to assure quality healthcare coverage and not judge usage by the penny.

The USC men’s basketball team, coming in with an 11-16 regular season record, came within a couple of bad three-pointers of making the NCAA tournament but in the end couldn’t overcome Oregon’s two Lukes. Props to Henry Bibby, Desmon Farmer, Rory O’Neill, the Craven twins, and all the players for nearly becoming the second team with a losing record to make the Big Dance.

Today is the second anniversary of blogging here at BillSaysThis. Whoopee. In case you were watching. As opposed to the 2047th anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Pakistan, supposedly our ally, still hosts Al Qaeda terrorists, albeit two less than yesterday.

USA Network to show final ‘Robbery Homicide Division’ episodes late night April 7, 14, and 21.

CBS News asks Was Atkins Right After All? and gives a qualified (“so far…”) yes as the answer. Reading the article, I asked myself if these researchers are today’s equivalent of 19th century physicists, insisting on the unseen, undetectable ether even though all the evidence argued against them. As one poster in the Active Low Carter Forums pointed out, the establishment is stuck in a Kuhnian paradigm shift. Meanwhile, TS1 and I are losing weight and recent blood tests show good cholesterol results.

For this picture alone, I am really sorry to have missed Wednesday night’s Google / Blogger Party

I think congratulations are in order for Dawn, though not for surviving root canal.

From New Zealand, 2001’s Stickmen shows that no budget and no access to fancy digital effects doesn’t mean no movie. Like many an independent movie, it’s quite good even though it wasn’t made in Hollywood.

The central plot revolves around pub pool and a high stakes tournament sponsored by the local mobster. We know who Daddy is because he owns the escort service and because he cuts people up when they don’t repay the loans he’s made them. And Daddy isn’t too happy when Jack, Wayne, and Thomas, our heroes, turn out to be quite the players after the three are assigned long odds in the tournament.

In the middle of the movie, the two main female characters Karen and Sara are talking in a bar. Karen tells a story about a man and says, “The moral of the story is that men are stupid.” Sara responds, “That’s the moral to a million stories.” I suppose they’re right, though it was the accents that made it sound so hot. These two are quite integral to the ending, in a surprising way.

I was quite surprised to find that this is the first film Hamish Rothwell directed and the first screenplay Nick Ward wrote, not to mention the first starring/significant roles for most of the cast. The script has very few obvious flaws, coincidences, or bad choices–as I wrote this sentence I checked IMDB and found out, sure enough, that it won a bunch of the top prizes at the 2001 New Zealand Film and TV Awards: Scott Wills (as Wayne) for Best Actor, Ward for Best Screenplay, Rothwell for Best Director, and Luanne Gordon (as the honest prostitute Lulu) for Best Supporting Actress in her first feature film

According to the film’s website, Stickmen (the name under which our boys team for the tournament), was one of the half dozen most profitable movies made in NZ in the past 20 years, as well as one of the first NZ-produced films to merit a DVD release.

Definitely recommended, cheers for Tivo!

Of course we’re all very sad that David Letterman is stuck at home recovering from shingles but Elvis Costello was really good subbing for him last night. Very funny, topical monologue, showing that good writers can make anyone with a little smooth funny, and a terrific vamp on Allison with the lyrics changed to be “I Want to Be a Talkshow Host.” Catrell, strapless dress, va-va-va-voom! Mitch Hedberg: stoner? Fer sure, dude! Then, when Elvis and the Imposters played, what else but my favorite Power Pop tune ever, (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding, total happiness.

Maybe I’m too old school but I think the original version of Feelin’ Groovy is a lot better than the new recording done for the Gap commercial.

Got Motes?

Stomach virus really sucks when you’re planning to go to the Blogger Blowout!

Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the Sun, Oh but Mama, that’s where the fun is….

We’re going to the chapel…

You have to think that Guy Ritchie appreciates this kind of flexibility!

Should a congressperson resign after saying things that are out and out anti-Semitic? “If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should.” According to Marc Fisher, writing in the Washington Post, Sorry, Mr. Moran, You’re Not Fit For Public Office, the answer is yes. Apparently this is not his first really outrageous act. Get this moron out of our government!